An Unlikely Family
by Nightquesttarja
Summary: Mike has always had a fixation with the animatronics of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. He had always wanted to become friends with them, but never had the chance to say anything more than a 'hi'. Now that he's fourteen and has more freewill to do as he wants, he decides to secretly stay after hours at Freddy's to finally put to rest, his curiosities... Only it's not quite as he expects.
1. Staying Behind

**A/N: I've been wanting to do a multi-chapter story about Mike bonding with the animatronics for a while now and there are a few things I must clarify**

**First: The animatronics in this story are different from their game counterparts in that they are sentient. Like they were programmed with hyperparameter optimization.**

**Second:Mike is fourteen and a very curious fan of the animatronics.**

**If there are any other questions please feel free to ask in the reviews, I'll respond the best I can!**

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_An Unlikely Family_

Mike had always been a sort of wayward child, finding his own way the best way. So few would be surprised to learn that young Mike had decided to hide out in the stalls of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria until all the staff and customers had left for the night.

Fazbear's pizza had always been one of Mike's favorite places to hang out and waste away hours of the day ever since he was a mere seven years old. Of course back then he would come under the supervision of his parents who placed heavy restriction on what he was allowed to do. They would always tell him not to touch the animatronics, for it was the policy of the place. But the metal animals were so cool that he just wanted to go up and pet them despite their lack of fur.

But perhaps more than that, he had always wanted to go up and talk to them, for he knew they were rather sophisticated robots and could make responses pretty much like any sentient being. His parents however, would always assert the fact that they were just robots and were not capable of retaining thoughts. But even now as he was fourteen years old and already building the walls possibility within his mind, he still believed that those animatronics were smarter than his parents had always led him to believe. And since they were much too busy to disturb during open hours, and the fact that the rules forbid any unauthorized handling or direct "manipulation" of the animatronics, he decided the only way he'd ever have time with them would be to stay behind in the desolate stalls of the men's bathroom until the place had closed for the night. This way he'd be able to approach each of the animatronics without being rebuked for it.

He just had to have one conversation with those three animatronics (not counting Foxy, since he'd been decommissioned years ago). He just needed to know that they could say more than just a "Happy birthday Mike!" and could be the friends he once believed they could be!

After he'd had a conversation with them, he'd quickly make his way home before his parents began to worry.

Mike stood on the seat of the toilet as he checked the time on his phone: 9:56 pm. He bit his lip in anxiety, desperately urging the remaining four minutes to pass by. Even though he was too young to receive severe punishment if he got caught, he knew that getting caught would still mean that his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at meeting these animatronics whom he'd idolized as a child would be permanently ruined.

He stopped for a moment and silently laughed—this was ridiculous, he was doing all this just to meet a bunch of talking animals. What would his friends at school think if they learned of this?

For the briefest moment, he considered abandoning the whole plan. But he suddenly heard the sound of a door closing from out in the main room.

Glancing down at his phone, he saw that it was 10:02 pm. A nervous smile crept onto his face. He felt now that all his actions were being secretly viewed by his friends—that they were making incredulous remarks at this pathetic endeavor... perhaps they weren't the greatest friends...

He sighed self-consciously, warding the absurd thought away as he slowly pushed open the stall door. The auto-detecting lights of the bathroom were still on due to his movements and for a moment he feared that someone might have noticed and stayed behind to see if anyone might come out.

Stealthily sliding against the tiled wall, he listened carefully for any voices.

The sounds that reached his ears were very strange. It sounded like shaking plates and rolling cardboard party hats or plastic cups against the floor.

He hesitated, still listening to the noise. _Maybe someone's still cleaning_, he speculated, listening closer beyond the nervous pounding of his own heart. The sound seemed to grow more distant and then nearer, as if someone was spanning up and down the lengths of each table.

_Please, don't let someone still be here!_ He mentally begged, biting his knuckles.

Sliding toward the corner, he peered out catching an obstructed glimpse of a table corner. He flew back around the corner as he saw a bit of something yellow pass by it, pressing his eyes closed as he felt the stone of fear that was sitting in his stomach. There was definitely someone still here! For what reason, he didn't know, but there was no denying the movement he just saw.

He stood there for a time, just breathing in and out, trying to calm his savage heart. The person out there couldn't stay for much longer; they hadn't had night-shifts here in over ten years! No, it must be an employee just finishing some extra cleaning.

He contemplated returning to his stall in case the person out there decided to inspect the bathrooms, but was stopped by the sound of familiar voices from out in the main room.

"Don't knock over those chairs!" A voice warned.

Mike's heart leaped into his throat as he instantly recognized the male voice to be the animatronic bunny's—Bonnie was his name. He felt his heart suddenly quicken with interest upon recognizing the voice. It definitely was the animatronic's voice; no one else could emulate that high rabbit-like pitch yet with such a deep humanly undertone that his every word stuck in the mind.

His mind was so full of curiosity at this moment, that he just had to get a better look!

Creeping back to the corner, he poked his head around for a glance. There was nothing at the small corner of the table he was able to see, but he did hear another voice—this time female.

"The chairs are perfectly sturdy where they are." She responded in her soft contralto. "I was never in any danger of knocking them over."

Bonnie was quick in response: "Well it's happened before, and you know how _we_ get blamed whenever things get broken."

A third voice interrupted the two, deep and jovial. "There's no need to argue about this, you two. Let's just continue on with this tidying up and then we can prepare for the morning."

The iconic voice was obvious and clear to Mike. It was the single voice that everyone thought of when they mentioned this place—the Wonderful Freddy Fazbear's.

The youth could barely contain his excitement as he listened to the voices converse. _They're actually out there—talking to one another! _He told himself. It was like his greatest dream had come true, these three animatronics were out there talking of their own will! …But they were still metal animals made to entertain children. There was no reason for him to be _so_ excited about it.

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." Bonnie admitted somewhat guiltily. "What about Foxy?"

The sound of heavy curtains harshly thrown open filled the air, then: "What about me, y' poxy, landlubber?" a rough voice suddenly asked, earning the surprised turning of mechanisms. "If this be mutiny, I'll keelhaul ye!"

By this point Mike had slid to the wide doorway that lead to the main dining room so that the animatronics were in full visibility. He had been confused about the strange pirate-like voice and now he knew why.

Foxy the Pirate—the one animatronic he had only ever seen 'turned off' was standing angrily facing Bonnie, his shiny hook inches away from the purple rabbit's face.

Freddy spoke sternly to the crimson fox, "Foxy, you know you're not permitted to wander out of your Cove."

The fox turned a scowl on the bear, swiping his hook dismissively at him. "Aye, I'll do wha' I please! Me ears hurt aplenty from listenin' to the landlubber's gossip all day!"

"Foxy," Bonnie warned. "Don't make us force you back in there..."

"You don't want it to come to that." Chica added.

"Ah, give me yer worst! I've fought many a scurvy dog in my day; slashed 'em by th' curve of me cutlass!" He stepped back rearing his hook and raw metal hand up readily as if to fight, narrowed eyes of resentment watching them.

"They're gonna fight!" Mike slapped a hand over his mouth right after the awe-stricken words had escaped.

Four sets of animatronic eyes were instantly on the boy standing in the wide doorway to the bathrooms. Mike shifted awkwardly under their surprised stares, "Uh… hey!" he said trying to rid the awkward air. "What's...what's up? Just roaming around or…"

The four animatronics just stared silently at him, still shocked by his presence. Foxy was the first to speak up; he placed his hand on Freddy's back. "Well, it looks like you've got a bigger problem th'n me ol' circuit boards…"

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**I hope you liked this first, short chapter, and if you did, you can follow/favorite to show your support! :) **


	2. Babysitting

The animatronics stared at the boy incredulously, shock written upon each face. All but Foxy, who seemed to be taking enjoyment the scene.

Mike continued to shift about, becoming more and more uncomfortable under the silent stares of the metal animals. He laughed nervously, "So… I see that you guys actually _talk_ to one another…"

"Who are you?" Bonnie questioned.

It was such a simple question yet Mike was still shocked by it. He stuttered, "M—me? Oh, I'm just—"

"What are you doing here after hours?" Chica demanded, still somewhat bewildered.

Mike was taken aback by the synthetic chicken's tone. Of all the animatronics, he never expected her—the sympathetic motherly figure—to be able to possess such an aggressive manner. All that escaped his mouth was a pathetic, "Uh-h-h-h…"

From his position behind the three animatronics, Foxy just cackled at the awkward air that had filled the empty dining room. "Looks like y' got yerselves a little wanderer," he said to the other three. "I'd be helpin' ya if I was 'lowed to leave me Cove, but…"

Freddy just silenced the fox with a paw, fixing his eyes upon the foolish child who seemed to have no inclination as to what he was doing. "We won't be needing your help, Foxy. I think you've proved that to us a long time ago…"

The Pirate just growled in narrowed resentment, "I be tellin' ya fer years, it be the fault of that parent! The little lubbers have no understandin' that I've only got th' one hand to be liftin' with. And I wasn't about to let tha' ol' scurvy dog rip holes 'n me for the lad's puny scratch."

The animatronics had become so enveloped in their quarry that they hadn't seen the boy moving his way closer to them, about a table's length away by the time Bonnie noticed and elbowed Freddy to alert him.

Mike stopped once again as he was spotted, trying to discreetly play it off by sitting in a chair. "So, is this all you guys do—just argue with each other?"

"Lad's got a keen eye," Foxy stated sarcastically.

Freddy sent the fox a glare before turning to the dark-haired youth. "Mind telling us what you're doing here after hours, um…"

"Name's Mike!" he piped up proudly. "And I was in the bathroom, and I guess the workers just left me here." he heaved his shoulders up in a dismissive shrug.

"Uh-huh," Chica nodded sardonically, "'Cause there's _no_ way you were hiding out in there…"

Flustered, Mike nearly toppled out of his chair. "Wha—why would I—they really did leave me back there!"

Chica opened her beak to respond, but was silenced by Freddy. He stared back at the boy, "So—Mike was it?" the boy nodded. "Mike, you do understand that it's considered trespassing to be here after hours and that you could get in serious trouble, correct?"

The youth's eyes shot wide as he nearly launched from his seat, "But I was—"

Freddy held up a hand to silence him, "I'm not saying that it was your fault. But regardless, what's done is done, and you'll have to stay here until staff arrives in the morning."

"W—wait! They don't need to find out about this!" he shouted in panic. "I can just leave now! You don't need to keep me here!"

The bear just shook his head solemnly. "We're not what's keeping you here; it's the alarm system." He gestured to the glass-plated front doors which just looked like regular doors.

The boy just stared, completely confused.

Bonnie leaned forward, "Alarms—you know; the loud annoying sound that goes off when something gets broken?" The disdain in his tone was as thick as honey only without the sweetness.

"I know what it is!" Mike snapped indignantly at the rabbit that appeared pleased by his own remark. "I just don't know how it stops me."

"Look," Chica huffed impatiently, "the doors are locked and if you open them without the keys it'll go off."

Mike pondered this, easing back into the chair as the thoughts rolled through his head.

Suddenly Freddy spoke up his voice sternly sharp. "Please do not lean back in the chairs, Mike. I will be very unhappy if the legs get worn out."

Without thought the youth returned the chair to equilibrium, but said no more as his thought continued. He was shocked by how his muscles seemed to respond before his mind, obeying the command like a scolded animal. It made him feel violated, and the fact that there were three other animatronics around to witness this only deepened his embarrassment.

Seeing everything seemed to be resolved, Freddy permitted a single nod, turned to the purple rabbit. "All right, I have other things that require my attention. Bonnie I want you to keep an eye on Mike here—"

The protest was instantaneous, "_What?!_ I don't want to be stuck all night with this kid!"

Freddy's glance was unwavering, "You will do this." He paused as he heard the muffled snickers from the bird behind. "Chica will help you as well."

"Hold on. What?!" the avian cried.

Freddy held his paws up again, "I don't want to hear it." he said. "You watch children every day; you should have no problem with doing it now."

"But this isn't a child!" Chica exclaimed. "This is a _delinquent_!"

"I am not a delinquent!" Mike piped up indignantly.

"Ye be breakin' the rules righ'?" Foxy said. "That makes ye a delinquent. Pretty cut-n-dry if ya be askin' me."

Mike huffed and crossed his arms, an action that almost mirrored the purple rabbit's. He was _not_ a delinquent. Sure he was purposely trespassing here, but they didn't know that. How dare they treat him like this?! _Stupid robot animals… _He mumbled mentally.

Freddy, who had been watching the boy, currently turned to stare at the sullen rabbit. "Bonnie," he began, "I want you to take this seriously. I will not be pleased if I find out that anything is broken and/or this young man is injured… Same goes for you, Chica."

"Ugh, this is so stupid," Mike blurted, "I'm too old to be babysat!"

Freddy turned a harsh glare on the youth, "I'm afraid, this is the way it must be." He turned and strode toward the Backstage, disappearing behind the black door.

Mike ran a hand down his face in a long, immature groan, not even caring that the other animatronics were still present.

Foxy clapped his hook with his hand, a spared grin on his face. "Well," he said to the rabbit and chicken, "I'll be lettin' ya get to yer work." he stopped just before he disappeared behind his velvet curtains, glancing sinisterly over his shoulder, "Have fun!" he cheered sarcastically before slipping back into his isolation.

Foxy and Freddy gone, the two animatronics exchanged a dreadful glance, both sharing the same thought: This is going to suck.

Bonnie was more animated in expressing his displeasure; moving about like a sulking child and grabbing at things with unnecessary force. It looked ridiculous, seeing the rabbit that was a good three feet taller than him throw himself into a little black dining chair like a heavy ragdoll—arms falling crossed about his chest, leaving his artificial bowtie to peek out. Mike was amazed the chair supported the animatronic's weight, wondered just how much they could withstand.

While he wondered at this, he failed to notice Chica roll her eyes at the rabbit, and carefully pull out a chair to sit next to the purple animatronic.

Awkward silence ensued; both the chicken and rabbit sitting on one side of the table and Mike on the other.

Mike drummed his fingers on the table to distract from the awkwardness, all the while trying to sneak a glance at the two robots. After all, that was the entire purpose of staying after hours—to a glimpse at the animatronics.

It hadn't really gone as he'd intended it to; not only seeing the animatronics moving about and talking casually to one another, but also having them interact with him, even if it wasn't particularly in his favor. But it was still preferable to the alternative of staying home.

The silence held out for about a minute before Bonnie had had enough. "Well, I'm not gonna just sit here, bored all night. I'm getting my guitar." He announced, before heftily rising from his chair and striding over to the stage in a rather bold gait.

Once he returned, Bonnie pulled the guitar into his lap, leaned back in the chair, and began strumming a barely audible tune. The pose looked almost rebellious in its careless, comfortable image, and Mike found it particularly strange that something like this would be programmed into a robot... Was it even programming?

Thinking about it, he drew more focus on the rabbit and chicken, noting the ways in which they moved; the way their features seemed to respond in awareness to their actions.

"So, are you guys programmed to do things or what?" he asked suddenly.

There was a sharp stop in the soft guitar melody as both Bonnie and Chica sent a harsh glare at the boy. "What?" they both demanded in unison.

He faltered under the gazes. "Y'know, like…you guys seem to know what you're doing—not that you're dumb or anything! But…y'know…you seem pretty…_smart _for robots." He just compressed his lips in nervousness as he stared at them expectantly.

Chica arched a brow as Bonnie just stared and gave a single disbelieving huff, returning to his guitar.

Chica spoke first, "That's because we're not _just_ robots." She said matter-of-factly.

Mike waited expectantly for the avian to continue but was greeted only by silence. He shook his head, "Okay, so what is it then?"

Chica just held her stare and Bonnie stopped playing once again, rolling his eyes as if the answer was obvious.

Annoyed, Mike threw his hands up indignantly, "Well, how am I supposed to know?! I'm not a—a robot genius, or whatever!"

Chica emulated a sigh. "We've got special programming," she explained. "It lets us learn from things we each see and allows us to develop over time." She continued quickly as the youth opened his mouth, "I don't know the specifics, so don't ask."

Mike nodded. "How long have you been around?"

"Jeez, kid, you ask a lot of questions!" Bonnie snapped, not deigning to take his eyes from his precious guitar.

Chica rolled her eyes at both the trivial question and her companion's outburst. _No restraint_. She thought, annoyed.

"We've been in commission for a long time." She said offhandedly, falling back into silence as she stared off into space.

Mike, obviously not satisfied by the answer, tried to push another. "Man, it must be boring to sit around in here all the time… does anything y'know—_fun_—ever happen around here?"

"Don't you need to sleep or something?" Bonnie asked. "I mean _come on_! All I hear is 'blah-blah-blah' constantly and without break. It's like—"

"Bonnie!" the chicken snapped. "Shut up!" The look in her wide eyes was intense as she stared at the rabbit who piped down under her wrathful glance, muttering angrily to himself.

Mike's glance was anywhere but the chicken, not wanting to meet her fury. He could see the pouting rabbit, arms crossed and guitar now resting at his side. Mentally, he was laughing at the rabbit, feeling justice had been done. But it quickly dissipated as their eyes met for a brief instant, the narrow beams of resentment fully expressed.

Bonnie was angry, having been humiliated in front of someone who he was supposed to have authority over. It was a blow to his pride and now Mike could feel the rabbit's resentment having grown.

Chica stood suddenly, pushing her chair in as she turned to face the animatronic and boy. "I'll be back in a minute. I'm going to see if Freddy wants us to keep an eye on the doors as well."

Mike nearly fell out of his chair in objection to the avian's statement, not wanting to be left alone with the seething rabbit.

But the animatronic was too fast and was already backstage by the time he'd turned around, closing the door behind her with a solid thump.

He remained in his position facing the door, not wanting to turn around and face the rabbit. Maybe if he ignored the animatronic, he'd do the same.

His hope quickly retreated as he heard the muffled thud of a guitar being placed on the ground, and the relieved gasping of the chair as Bonnie stood.

A shiver ran down Mike's spine as he felt the rabbit's glare on the back of his neck. He tried to swallow in a dry throat, pretending that he didn't notice. His hands clenched tightly around the head of the black leather chair, as he silently prayed for the robot to leave him alone.

The rabbit stepped forward.

The boy whirled in fear, "Don't hurt me!" he wailed, covering his head with his hands.

Startled, Bonnie stepped back, glaring strangely at the boy.

"Look, I-I-I didn't mean to embarrass you, just… _please_ don't hurt me!"

Silence permeated the air, and after a moment Mike ventured to peak at the rabbit.

Bonnie continued to stare at him, obviously puzzled by the reaction. "You think I'm gonna hurt you?" he asked in what sounded like, disbelief.

Mike stared up at the animatronic in surprise. "You're not?"

His metallic eyes narrowed and his arms crossed, "Why would I do that?" he asked.

"You—you're not angry?"

Bonnie imitated a snort, "Well, I'm certainly not peachy, but that's not enough to make me want to _hurt_ you."

"But…the way you were looking at me…"

"What? Do you expect me to be your best friend? _You _snuck in after hours, and because of it,_ I_ have to watch you… and speaking of that, why did you stay back after hours? To cause chaos? To steal something?" He cut the boy off as he saw his mouth shoot open. "Don't bother giving me excuses because unlike the others, I won't listen. This is your last chance to tell me the truth."

Mike huffed indignantly, "I was left behind!" he lied.

Bonnie shook his head, "Y'know… I've been around enough kids to tell when one's lying."

The youth gritted his teeth. Now he was just plain annoyed. "I'm not lying!" he growled, standing from his chair now to face the rabbit that easily stood three feet over him.

The animatronic glared disdainfully at the child trying to intimidate him, a smug smirk on his features. "Are you gonna hit me?" he goaded. "I've seen many kids try that, too."

That was it for Mike and he blindly swung his fist at the rabbit.

The sudden action surprised Bonnie, but he was able easily avoid the swing and grabbed the youth by the forearm to restrain him.

The boy flailed uselessly in the animatronic's firm grasp, jerking every which way to try to slip free. Their struggle continued for a few moments until something snapped beneath Mike's feet and he lost his balance. Suddenly the grasp around his arm released prompting him to fall flat on the floor. He quickly got up on his elbows to observe the rabbit's new fixation, eyes widening in horror as he saw the animatronic towering over a guitar, broken in half at the neck.

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**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, school and all... But now classes are over and that should mean more frequent updates from me. And I'll be able to respond to reviews as well! :)**


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